Harry Y. "Hap" McSween
University Distinguished Professor of Science
Professor of Planetary Science
University of Tennessee
Hap McSween is a world leading authority on the compositions of meteorites, or cosmochemistry. He was one of the original proponents of the idea, now accepted, that some meteorites are samples of Mars, and he has been a NASA Co-investigator on numerous spacecraft missions to explore the red planet. His research has led to revolutionary ideas about the geologic and geochemical evolution of Mars. He has also done groundbreaking work on elucidating the early history of the solar system through studies of primitive chondritic meteorites and by spacecraft investigation of the asteroids from which they come.
In 2001 McSween was awarded the Leonard Medal of the Meteoritical Society in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the science of meteoritics. He has also been awarded the Leconte Medal from the South Carolina Science Council and he recently received the high honor of election as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. His election as a Fellow was, according to the A.G.U. citation, “For leadership in the study of primitive meteorites and their interpretation in terms of processes in planetary bodies and in the study of Martian igneous rocks, and for contributions to our understanding of the early history and evolution of the solar system and geologic processes on Mars.” He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has served as Chair of the Planetary Division of the Geological Society of America, President of the Meteoritical Society, and member of several advisory committees for NASA and the National Research Council.
A prodigiously prolific author, Hap has published hundreds of frequently cited papers in leading scientific journals. He also has a deep commitment to interpreting the latest findings in planetary science to the general public. His four popular books on planetary science are models of exposition that convey important science in an engaging way while inviting the reader to take part in the joy and wonder that is the heart of science.
Hap McSween is a `67 Chemistry graduate of The Citadel, where he served as Executive Officer of Band Company. He earned an M.S. degree in Geology from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. in Geology from Harvard University.